Concise descriptive writing--a game

This game/activity can take 5 minutes or an entire class period. Use it when the lesson falls short and you have a few minutes at the end of a period so as not to waste any valuable class time.

1. Have each student get out a piece of paper and quickly write a 15 word sentence on the paper.

2. Have the students pass their paper to the person behind them and the person in the very back give his or hers to the person in the front. Students read the sentence on the paper in front of them and have 20 seconds to draw a picture of the sentence. Students fold the sentence over so that it can't be seen but the picture can be and pass the paper to the person behind them.

3. Students look at the picture in front of them and write a 10 word sentence. Students fold the paper so that only their sentence is showing. Students pass the paper again.

4. Students read the sentence in front of them and have 20 seconds to draw a picture of the sentence. Students fold that paper and pass it back.

5. Students look at the picture and write a 5 word sentence describing the picture in front of them, fold the paper, and pass it back for one final drawing.

6. Continue this reducing the number of words the sentence can be until...well until you're ready for it to be over. I wouldn't go much passed what I've described above: students get bored.

7. Have students unveil their drawings and sentences. The group with final picture that most closely resembles the oringinal sentence wins!

Children's Books

Where's the Cake Now? by T.T. Khing

Leaf by Stephen Michael King

Tuesday by David Weisner

These are 3 of my new favorite children's books. All three tell amazingly complex stories without a single word, which makes them great for a writing assignment.

Using these three books, and other pictures books with no words, have students write the words to the story. This could be a single isolated writing activity to have on hand for a cancelled field trip or to allow for some creative writing in the midst of a research paper or to add excitement to the unit described here.

You could leave it at that or give a bit more direction, depending on the needs of the class, the amount of time available, the amount creativity you'd like to employ, and all the other if, ands, and buts of education.

Here are some ideas to give more direction if needed.

*Before beginning, discuss how some pictures books use the pictures to retell the story that the words are saying, while others use the picture to add depth and meaning to the words, such as highlighting irony or adding emotion to the characters' spoken words. Challenge students to not just rewrite the story the pictures tell but to use the written words to add irony.

*Have the students practice writing to different audiences. Have them rewrite the story for an adult, for an infant, for a 5th grader, or for themselves. Discuss the different needs of the audience in each situation.

*Practice writing dialog by having students rewrite the story entirely as dialog.

*Best yet, just say "You have 1 class period to create a final draft of this story. Write the words to the story." And leave it at that. Sometimes kids will surprise you.